Cotter-pin.



" UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE'.

ANDREWv C. CAMPBELL, 015' WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

COTTER-PIN.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW C. CAMPBELL,

a cit-izen of the, United States, residing at n lfVaterbury, in thecounty' of New Haven .y 5 and State 'of Connecticut, havel invented a Anew and useful Improvement in Cotter-Pins,

of which the following is a specification.

` Thisy invention relates to those devices which are designed to bedriven through holes for the purpose of preventing the re- 4moval of theparts through which they are driven, or pieces placed upon the partsthrough which they are driven.

The object of the invention is to rovide a Cotter-pin which is easy tomanu acture, simple to use, and which is so constructed that when it isdriven into a 'hole it automatically .loc-ks itself in place., Toaccomplish'this object, a length of the usual wire is doubled uponitself so as to form an eccentric eye at one vend and have one limblonger than the other,` and the tip of the long limb is bent at an angleacross the-tip of the short limb in-such manner that when the pin isdriven into place, the short limb will be forced forward along the longlimb, causing its tip to be driven past the bent tip of the long limband thus spread the free ends of the limbs to a` diameter that isgreater than' the diameter. of. the hole -through which they weredriven.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings shows a side view of a Cotter-pinwhich embodies the invention: Fi 2 is a view looking toward the tip endo `the pin in its normal condition. Fig. 3 shows a pin in its j normalstate thrustinto a perforation in a piece of metal. Figa-4 shows a viewof the same'afterthe in has been fully driven in and the short llmbforced forward so as to separate the free ends of the limbs and lock thepin in place. y These pins may be made ona suitable automatic wireforming machine of lengths cut froma' coil of half round stock of any fdiameter and the required length. The wire isdoubled u on itself 4toform an eye 1 atv one end .and ring lthe flat surfaces together andprovide the short limb 2 and the long limb 3. The eye is offset or'madeeccentric.

sor that when it is (given a blow, the force of.

the blow will ten todrive the short limb farther forward. The tip 4 .ofthe long limb isbent at an angle--approximately 45 degees-acrossthe tip5 of the short limb.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led December 21, 1911. Serial N0. 667,161.

Patented' Mar. 5, 1912.

ameterfas the diameter of the two limbs, l

which is usually apfproximately a little less than the diameter o thehole into which the pin is to be thrust.

These` pins can` cheaply as the common Cotter-pin which has limbs ofequal length, and the tips of which have to be separated and bentapartby a suitable instrument after the pin has been driven in place.

be made 1as rapidlyY and After one of. these im roved .pins has" been.thrust into a hole or fastenin the part in which it is placed, or forholding a piece on that part, it can be given a li'ht blow witha hammer.As the eye is oiset on the side of the long limb, the en agement of theeye withthe stock at the si e of the hole prevents that limb from beingdriven farther in, thus the force of the blow is Y transmitted to theshort limb which is driven farther in andas its tip passes the bent oroffset tip of the lon limb, the free ends of the pin arewedge apart sothat they occupy a space that is greater in diameter than'the holethrough which the pin was driven. y In this simple manner the pin isautomatically locked 'in position and.cannot be removed until theprocess is reversed by driving back the short limb, or unless the benttip is straightened.

The invention claimed is:

1. A Cotter-pin made of a iece ofhalf round wire bent so as to provi ean off-center eye atone end and have two limbs of unequal length thatextend with the flat surfaces adjacent, the tip of the long limb be'-ing bent at an angle across the tip 0f the short limb, wherebywhen the ee' is 'given a blow, the short limb will be drivenV longitu,x

dinally of the long limb, and bythe engagement of the 'tips cause aseparation'of the limbs and increase the normaldiameter of the pin.

2. A round wire bent so as to provlde an eye at one end and-'have' twolimbs of unequal length that extend with the flat surfaces adjacent, thetip of the long limb being bent l p V A Cotter-pin made of apieceiof'half l ,the tip ofthe long limb being at an angle across thetip of the short limb, whereby when lthe' short limb is driven1ongitudinally' of `'the lng'limb, bythe en agement of the tips aseparation of the imbs and an increase in the normal diameter of the pinis caused. v l

3. -A cotter-pin made of apiece 'of Wire bent so as to form anoff-'center evel atv one end and have twc` limbs of unequal length, bentat an angle aross the tip vof the short limb,where by,` when theege isgiven a blow, the short limb will be riven longitudinally of the longlimb and by the engagement of the 'cause thel tips to engage and resultin a separation 'of the free ends of thelimbsf.

' ANDREW C. CAMPBELL. .Witnesses'fn l A i y f 0. G. RABE,

FRANK A. HUBER.

